Best Online Master’s in Communication Programs

Based in the District of Columbia, American University offers a master of arts in strategic communication program that consists of 15 core credits and 15 elective credits. Coursework is available 24/7 through an asynchronous course delivery method, which allows students to maintain family and work obligations while earning their degree. The online communications master’s offers students an optional concentration in advocacy and social impact, and students can complete the program in 20 months.

Applicants must submit their resume and participate in a phone interview with an admissions adviser. Online students may also apply for the Online Merit Scholarship for additional financial support. American University is a Yellow Ribbon Program school and is recognized by GI Jobs. Military-affiliated students may access the Veterans’ Liaison Network for academic support.

The online communication master’s of science degree from Purdue University is specifically designed for working professionals who want to deepen their understanding of branding and messaging strategies across domestic and international platforms. Students will apply best practices to modern communication methods, including how to analyze social media engagement,apply ethics in decision-making, and approach writing across communication domains like public relations and advertising. The program's asynchronous curriculum emphasizes a “commitment to openness in communication and public affairs.” The average student dedicates about 20 hours per week to coursework.

Because of the program's professional focus, students are able to find networking opportunities among other students’ diverse experiences and connections, with past alumni coming from organizations like UNICEF, Boeing, and Coca-Cola. Admissions requirements for the MS in communication include a telephone interview with an admissions advisor and three professional letters of recommendation. Students who maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their undergraduate program are not required to submit GRE scores.

Northeastern University's MS in corporate and organizational communication explores the latest communication trends through experiential opportunities and an interactive learning platform. Among other skills taught, students learn how to investigate social technology’s impact on communication patterns of employees and employers, investors, and other audiences. This fully online master’s in communication offers a choice of six concentrations: social media, public relations, human resource management, usability/user experience, project management, and leadership. Elective courses include personal branding, digital era skills, and international field study experience. In their final quarter, students must complete a 12-week capstone course. Additional, optional virtual experiences include six-week, not-for-credit projects through Northeastern's Experiential Network.

Students who are accredited public relations professionals may receive transfer credit and an opportunity to complete their degree on an accelerated track. Other students may also be able to accelerate their degree through qualifying transfer credits. Employed students may reduce tuition costs by taking advantage of any available employee tuition reimbursement programs.

The University of Denver offers online communications master’s degree programs with various concentrations, including organization communication and marketing communication. The organization communication program is designed for entry- or mid-level communications professionals. Among other skills, students learn how to apply communication management skills effectively and how to present important information to stakeholders. The marketing communication program prepares professionals or those entering the field with the skills needed to create, implement, and assess traditional and digital branding and marketing strategies. Students in both programs must complete 48 credit hours, including a capstone project, seminar, or portfolio option. The university’s online and interactive degree builder tool allows students to design their program online with electives that match their interests and career goals.

Applications are accepted during each semester by a specified deadline. Students who miss an application deadline during a semester are allowed to begin taking courses for one quarter before their application is accepted. Graduate students may transfer up to 12 credits, earned within the last five years, toward their master’s degree.

UI's MS in health communication, offered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is available entirely online. Students can choose to specialize in one of several health communication tracks, including interpersonal, family, organizational, socially mediated, and cultural communication. Graduates are prepared for careers in health care fields like medicine, pharmaceuticals, public health, and patient advocacy.

Students usually complete the program in two years. The core curriculum spans 10 courses offered in either four- or eight-week semesters, with topics like health informatics, social marketing for health and behavior change, in addition to an individual capstone study project. Full-time students take two online courses each semester, structured as an eight-week course followed by a two-week break and then concluding with a four-week course.

Courses are taught asynchronously, with an average of two to three assignments and peer responses due each week. Part-time enrollment is also available. Interested applicants can request a sample online program lecture from the health communication program coordinator.

Gonzaga University offers five start dates per year for its master’s in communication and leadership program. The 30-credit online communication master’s program includes core courses, elective classes, capstone or thesis courses, and an on-campus immersion experience. Optional program concentrations include college teaching, global leadership, and strategic and organizational.

The curriculum covers digital storytelling, communication teaching and pedagogy, and leadership and mindfulness. Students must participate in a 240-hour internship at a local college or university and usually complete the program in two years. The school expects students to work 10 to 15 hours per week on coursework.

Military personnel, Bank of America employees, Boeing employees, and federal government employees receive a 10% tuition discount. Diocese of Spokane receive a 50% discount. The 4+1 pathway enables students to earn an undergraduate and graduate degree in five years, and online students pay the same tuition rate as on-campus learners.

Florida International University offers an online master of science in mass communication with a global strategic communications track that enables students to learn at their own pace. The 20-credit, one-year online master’s degree in communication costs the same for residents and non-residents. Along with the master’s degree, students earn a graduate certificate in conflict resolution and consensus building.

Students start the program in either the fall or spring and take two courses each semester during the six eight-week terms. The curriculum covers media planning, strategic storytelling and digital content creation, and global strategic communication management. The program culminates with a professional project and independent study.

The school may award academic credit for military training, and tuition waivers are available for veterans with certain combat decorations. Applicants must submit GRE scores and a resume with their application.

Graduate students at Liberty University can choose from two online communication master’s programs: an MA in Communication or an MA in Strategic Communication. Liberty’s curriculum provides instruction on communication principles and practices through a Christian lens. The program is best fit for students pursuing careers in education or preparing for advanced study in communication. To graduate, students are required to complete 36 credit hours, 12 of which may be transferred. Example foundational course topics include strategies & tactics of persuasion, small group & team communications, and intercultural communication. In their final semester, students can choose to complete a final project, thesis, or comprehensive exam as a culminating experience course. Distance learners may access their courses through the Blackboard LMS.

Liberty provides for dual enrollment in a bachelor’s and master’s program with direct permission from the registrar. Generally, however, admission requirements for the master's program include a bachelor’s degree earned with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students with lower GPAs who show potential may be admitted on a case-by-case basis.

MC boasts the label of Mississippi’s oldest higher-learning institution and the first coeducational college in America to grant degrees to women back in 1831. The college is committed to the teachings of Christ. As a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium, MC welcomes military personnel and their families.

The school’s master of science in communication program offers students three online tracks: professional communication in sports, professional communication in health services administration, and integrated communication. The 31-credit online communications master’s degree curriculum includes courses in public relations, communication research, and process and effects of communication. Interested applicants must show proof of a minimum 2.5 undergraduate GPA. Courses are delivered asynchronously, which provides students the flexibility to maintain their family and work obligations.

With more than 56,000 alumni, MSU offers a master of arts in strategic communication program. The 30-credit MA in communications online covers subjects such as crisis communication, branding and image, and digital media strategies.

Students work with academic advisers to establish a degree plan that students can complete in five years. The program culminates with a practicum that enables students to gain field experience. Applicants must demonstrate a 3.25 minimum undergraduate GPA and provide a resume or CV along with their application.

MSU’s sponsorship program demonstrates their commitment to assisting military-affiliated students through their transition from military to college life. The school’s Veteran’s Agricultural Worker Training program caters to unemployed U.S. veterans residing in shelters. Military personnel may receive in-state tuition rates.

Most of the students at the University of Alabama come from out of state, including students from 82 different countries. The school offers a master of arts in communication studies with a specialization in organizational leadership that takes students about two years to complete. The master's degree in communication online program includes courses in human communication theory, conflict and negotiation, and group leadership. The school’s 30-credit, fully-online degree delivers classes asynchronously and incorporates a secondary plan called the professional option. This secondary option allows students to gain field experience through a professional internship or project and a capstone portfolio.

Interested applicants need a 3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA and a 300 minimum on the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the revised GRE or must be in the 50th percentile or higher on the MAT. The school offers military-affiliated students access to tuition assistance.

Colorado State University’s master of communications and media management combines in-person and online learning components. The hybrid program spans six semesters, requiring students to meet at the Denver Learning Center one night each week. The 30-credit online master’s in communication incorporates one online course and one face-to-face course each semester. Distance learners pay in-state tuition for online courses.

The school uses a cohort model and delivers its online courses asynchronously and synchronously. The curriculum covers topics in managing communication systems, strategic digital communication, and web design and management. All students may download and install Office 365 for free and access CSU’s library databases. Interested applicants must submit writing samples of professional or scholarly writing in English, proof of a 3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA, and a resume or CV.

CSU extends special benefits to military personnel such as rehabilitation programs, holistic healing services such as acupuncture, and nature and land therapy.

Webster University’s online master’s in communications programs include MA degrees in media communications, communications management, and advertising and marketing communications. Applicants should have earned a 2.5 GPA or better as an undergraduate or have experience in communications. Students may be required to complete six credits of prerequisite undergraduate coursework, and earn a grade of B or better, before they are admitted to the master's program.

The media communications program focuses on analyzing media in various contexts and applying research to evaluate media. Students involved in communications management learn how to apply communication solutions and programs in corporate or organizational settings. Graduates leave school prepared to develop and assess organization-wide communications plans. All programs require distance learners to complete 36 credit hours in core and elective coursework. Terms are structured in nine-week sessions and offered five times throughout the year. All faculty-created courses are accessed via Webster’s WorldClassRoom. Webster's graduate programs allow students to transfer up to 12 credits from qualifying higher education institutions.

Texas Tech University offers its master of arts in strategic communication and innovation online. The 30-credit online communications master’s requires students with less than a 3.0 undergraduate GPA to take the GRE. Tuition rates are the same for in-state and out-of-state students. The school delivers its courses asynchronously. Students may establish a course plan with the assistance of the program director.

The curriculum incorporates research methods, a seminar in mass communication theory, and a capstone project. Students may choose from electives such as multimedia storytelling, advanced social media practice, and special topics in strategic communication. Interested applicants must submit writing samples and a resume detailing related professional experience.

Veterans may use the online Veterans portal for education, employment, health, housing, and disability resources.

Offered through the university's College of Fine Arts & Communication since 2006, East Carolina's MA in communication with a concentration in health communication emphasizes the study of children's and community health. Courses cover topics like computer-facilitated communication, doctor and patient interactions, and health service advertising. The 30-hour program includes elective options like intercultural communication in the health context and media and health communication. Students can choose from a thesis or non-thesis option.

East Carolina offers rolling admissions throughout the year. Application requirements include a bachelor’s degree, minimum GRE scores, and two letters of professional recommendation. Graduate students are eligible to apply for two program-specific scholarship opportunities worth $1,000 each. A number of student communication organizations, including Communication Graduate Student Association (CGSA) and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), are also open to distance learners. Graduates of the program are prepared to pursue a variety of healthcare-specific jobs in communications, such as health care advocacy, public relations, and health reporting.

Syracuse University began offering its master of science in communications online in 2015. The online communication master’s program consists of 18 core credits, which includes courses in media law, multimedia storytelling, and digital communications systems.

Students choose a specialization in public relations, advertising, or journalism innovation. Depending on the specialization, students study topics in digital branding and strategy, data-driven journalism, or public relations theory. The program incorporates an immersion experience where students participate in on-campus visits and complete a capstone project. Though students may access coursework 24/7, the school delivers courses through live, face-to-face video conferences, with a maximum classroom capacity of 15 students. Applicants must submit their resume and participate in a video interview.

As a Yellow Ribbon Program school, Syracuse University provides tuition assistance, academic resources, and support to military personnel.

Missouri State University-Springfield offers its master of arts in communication program online. The online tuition for this program is lower than what in-state and out-of-state students pay. Students can complete the 32-credit online master’s degree in communication in two years. The school also offers an accelerated format that allows qualifying students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years.

The program typically starts in the fall semester, but under special circumstances, the school makes accommodations for a pre-fall semester start. Students must complete a thesis, seminar paper, or a capstone project. Interested applicants must submit GRE or MAT scores and proof of a minimum undergraduate GPA of a 3.0 during their last 60 credit hours of academic work. Applicants with a GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 must submit GRE scores of at least 153 on the verbal section and 140 on the quantitative section, or a score in the 50th percentile or higher on the MAT.

Drexel University's 45-credit master of science in communication program offers to specializations: technical communication and public communication. Courses cover topics in grant writing, event planning, editing, and document design and evaluation. The online communications master’s degree features a six-month internship, asynchronous classes, and program start dates each quarter.

Drexel University adheres to an academic calendar of four 10-week terms. Competitive applicants need a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA. Applicants must submit their resume and an essay detailing the correlation between their academic work and career goals. Drexel offers reduced tuition for active, military-affiliated students. Through the Yellow Ribbon Program, all eligible veterans receive a tuition-free education.

Marist College’s MA in communication focuses on theory, research, and writing across various organizational settings and for multiple audiences. Throughout the curriculum, students are encouraged to develop leadership styles along with conflict resolution skills. A fully online degree with no residency requirement, Marist's MA in communication can be completed on a part- or full-time status. The program consists of 10 courses with an optional thesis. Courses are designed as eight-week modules, allowing full-time students to take two classes at a time for a total of four courses over one semester. Full-time students can complete the program in one year, while part-time students take an average of two years. Applications are accepted for the online program in August, with classes starting in the fall. Online students are encouraged to attend an annual reception for graduate communication students during Alumni Weekend.

WSU offers a 30-credit MA in Strategic Communication through the renowned Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. This online master’s in communication program is designed for students who want to enter careers in advertising, public relations, corporate communication, and communication management. The program's curriculum covers both traditional and emerging digital media forms, providing learning opportunities for information analysis as students create their own strategic communication plans. Students are assigned to a small cohort with which they complete the program. Courses include weekly online instructor communication and access to engaging self-assessment tools. Faculty and industry professionals work with students to help them develop multimedia skills in areas like audio and video software technology and graphic design. This non-thesis program includes a final capstone project and portfolio presentation. Applications are accepted three times throughout the year for admission in the following semester. Interested applicants can sign up online for a live virtual information session.